What Is Core Shot and How Do You Pour It?

Core shot is a bait-making technique where a bait has an inner core of one color wrapped in an outer shell of another, injected through a core shot mold. It lets you build intriguing baits, like a dark core through a light belly, or hide a bright core that flashes when the bait is in the strike zone.

Core shot is one of the features that makes a homemade bait look truly custom. Here is what it is and how to pour it.

What core shot is

A core shot (or cored) bait has two layers: a center core of one plastic color and an outer layer of another. Unlike a simple top-and-bottom laminate, the core runs through the inside of the bait, so the outer color surrounds it. When the bait is in the water column, the inner color flashes, adding realism, resulting in a triggered strike.

Why it works

Forage fish often have a light belly, a darker back, and a flash of color inside. Core shot lets you imitate that layered look, which can make a difference on pressured or clear-water fish. It also just looks great in the package.

How to pour a core shot bait

Core shot molds are built to place a core inside the cavity as you pour. The general process:

1. Heat both colors to about 350°F: your core color and your outer color.
2. Inject the outer color to form the shell; inject the mold with the core rods in place usually at a coole temperature around 310 degrees.
3. Place shells in the mold, remove the core rods from the shell, and place them back into the mold cavity.
4. Inject the core color; inject the mold with plastic at 345-350 degrees.
5. Cool, pull, and cure.

Exact steps depend on the specific core shot mold, so follow the design of the mold you have.

Frequently asked questions

What is a core shot bait?
A bait with an inner core of one color surrounded by an outer color, giving a layered, baitfish-realistic look.

How is core shot different from a laminate?
A basic laminate stacks colors top and bottom. Core shot puts one color inside the other so the shell wraps the core.

Do I need a special mold for core shot?
Yes. A core shot mold is designed to seat a core rod inside the cavity as you inject.

Try core shot

Browse core shot molds like the 4" Core Shot Stick Bait. New to pouring? See our beginner's guide.

By the Angling A.i. team